At this point, it's no surprise that Tesla or CEO Elon Musk are announcing an innovative feature for their electric vehicles.
Earlier this year, Tesla rolled out the ability for passengers to play video games through the dash-mounted infotainment system even when the car is in motion, which can be activated once the player has confirmed that it is a passenger.
However, nothing prevents a driver from pressing this message as well.
Now Tesla has communicated to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) its intention to implement a software update that disables the function when the vehicle is in motion.
This follows reports earlier this week that the agency opened a preliminary investigation into passenger gambling, following concerns expressed by Tesla Model 3 owner Vince Patton (as reported by the New York Times) . This probe covers all four Tesla models: the S, X, Y and 3 from 2017 to 2022.
While the availability of games like Sonic 1 has created quite a stir among fans of the games and Tesla, experts and road safety agencies are concerned that live video and interactive activities on the touch screen could present security issues.
Musk has made his love of the game known over the years, so his intention to make Tesla's infotainment system highly capable of running AAA titles was impressive, but not surprising.
The NHTSA has also already unveiled a series of investigations this year into touchscreen failures, as well as the performance of Tesla's autonomous driving software following consumer complaints.
While we have yet to hear anything directly from Musk or Tesla representatives about this particular evidence, the NHTSA investigation is the first step in what could be a long journey to reshape the way Tesla treats its system.
Analysis: the long road to innovation
Big changes in the way we live, work, and even drive aren't always greeted with open arms, and it's safe to say that Tesla is no stranger to skepticism.
That said, the advancements and limitations of new developments, such as Tesla's powerful infotainment system and autonomous driving, deserve caution.
Initial NHTSA estimates (June 2021) show that approximately 38,680 people died in traffic accidents in 2020 in the United States, the highest expected number of deaths since 2007. According to the Brake Road safety charity, they died in 2020 1,516 people in the UK. roads, with 1.460 deaths recorded in Great Britain and 56 recorded in Northern Ireland.
Of course, it is difficult to determine exactly how many of these deaths can be attributed to distracted driving, but previous NHTSA statistics suggested that about 9% of crashes in 2019 were related to distraction.
Autonomous driving offers the potential for distracted driving to have less of an impact on these statistics; however, for now, the technology is creating more safety problems than it solves, judging by NHTSA surveys.
While the future of self-driving cars remains bright, it's safe to say that, for now at least, it's time to manage expectations, buckle up, and end the game of solitaire we're in. systems while taking a break. Of the road.